Constellations: Andromeda's Origins, Part II

Andromeda's crystal blue eyes were very much open, but her body was very much the smallest. The den fell silent, all eyes on her. "This... is incredibly problematic," The alpha female spoke softly, breaking the silence. "How will she ever be strong enough to lead? Strong enough to defend this pack with honor?" Her voice grew more panicked with every breath, every sound. "Polaris will be the next heir, he is awake now as well," Her mate replied, gesturing towards the youngest son, whose eyelids were slowly and tiredly parting. "But what about Andromeda? How will we shield her from the truth?" The mother asked. "We pretend as if she was not the heir in the first place, simple." The father said sternly. His mate gave a short nod, and it was decided. Polaris would be heir to the position, raised to lead. Raised to fight. Raised to replace the real heir, to replace the truth with a lie.

Months passed, and the pups grew older, stronger, and bigger. Except for Andromeda. She was constantly overshadowed by her siblings, and she was always the last to be fed. She barely grew, and she was always picked on by her siblings. Each night, as the stars softly faded into view, she hoped for change, she hoped that one day she wouldn't be cast aside by her pack mates. Eventually, the change did fall upon the pack, but not the change that she dreamed of. Not at all.

It was a normal day. The weather was normal. The pack activities were normal. An average day, average content. Right? It was assumed that Andromeda would never amount to anything due to her size, so nobody bothered to teach her how to hunt or fight. Because her days were generally empty, she developed her first hobby. Eavesdropping. Since nobody noticed her existence, it was incredibly easy to casually listen in on the conversations of her pack mates. Since the pups were still young and nowhere near the ability to lead the pack, chatter of the heirs switching places was still lingering in the conversations of various wolves. In one particular conversation she decided to listen to, words of concern were exchanged between the two pack leaders. Andromeda pressed her ear to the edge of the alpha den, listening to the soft conversation behind the barrier of tree logs. "Are you sure Andromeda won't find out?" The mother of the pups asked her mate, concern present in her quiet voice. "As long as nobody informs her that she was first to awaken, everything will be fine," He replied. Almost like a glass bowl plummeting to the floor, the veil of lies that shielded Andromeda from the truth was shattered.